Where she started Growing up, Cathryn Dunowski had always been athletic. But when she became pregnant, her weight skyrocketed from 170 pounds to 278 pounds—and it wouldn't come off. After becoming pregnant with her second child, she experienced health problems and tipped the scales at more than 500 pounds.

"My body just shut down," says Cathryn. Over the years, she tried everything from a personal trainer to Weight Watchers, but her size made exercise a challenge, and her weight loss always seemed to plateau.

How she did it In 2011, when Cathryn couldn't fit into her size-28 pants, she knew she had hit rock bottom. "I said, 'This is ridiculous. Something's not working.'" She went to see her doctor, who ran blood tests: Cathryn had insulin resistance, an obesity-related condition in which the body doesn't properly respond to insulin, the hormone that regulates glucose in the blood. Cathryn's doctor referred her to a clinic, where a nutritionist and nurse taught her a new way of eating.

She cut out much of the natural and unnatural sugars and carbs that had been sending her pancreas into insulin overdrive, and began focusing more on veggies and healthful proteins. She also followed a regular eating schedule to keep her blood sugar steady throughout the day. The pounds started coming off each week. Her nurse recommended "conversational exercise"—activity she could maintain a conversation through—so she began walking with her husband and, later, strength training.

Where she is now Cathryn's doctor says she has reversed decades' worth of damage to her body. She now looks at food as fuel and enjoys cooking healthful, creative fare such as rutabaga fries, cauliflower rice and zucchini pasta. (She does all her cooking prep on Sundays.) And while Cathryn used to have trouble finding clothes that fit, she can now shop anywhere she wants. Her husband jokes that he might need a second job to afford it!

Lessons she learned Cathryn attributes much of her success to her support system—her husband and two teens, her nurse and her coworkers, who cheered her on for her weekly weigh-ins. She calls her nurse the "little angel" on her shoulder, and hopes to help other women in her situation. "I've been in contact with another woman already, helping her through. It's really inspiring me to keep going," she says. "I'm just on fire now. I want to help everybody!"

Pro tips Insulin resistance occurs when cells fail to respond to insulin, the hormone that helps regulate glucose in the blood. When you're resistant, the body overcompensates with more insulin. The condition is often genetic and can be brought on by weight gain, but it also spurs further weight gain through hormonal changes. And although the blood might be full of glucose, tissues aren't able to use it, so the body stores it as fat.

The first treatment for insulin resistance is weight loss. Cathryn did an excellent job losing weight, but she may have cut out more carbs than necessary, since the body can still handle complex carbs. It was great that she incorporated exercise. Typically, those with insulin resistance should exercise for at least 30 minutes, five days a week, increasing to one hour daily for weight loss. Cathryn should maintain her healthy habits and keep her family involved, since her kids may have inherited increased risk of insulin resistance. The best treatment is prevention!

Culture & Entertainment

Winning gift idea: Subscription boxes for everyone on your list

Culture & Entertainment

Winning gift idea: Subscription boxes for everyone on your list

Whether you're on the hunt for a thoughtful gift that's sure to impress or simply a gift that can be delivered, your answer is easy: Go for subscription boxes.

They're trending hard in the gift department. So, what are subscription boxes exactly? Basically, there's a company out there (yes—in Canada, too!) that will bundle up specific things you're interested in and deliver them in a package right to your door. No matter what your thing is—beauty, sweets, wine, more wine—there's a subscription box for you.

Think about the people on your list and narrow down what makes them tick. Beauty buff? Get her a subscription to Glossy Box. Goop-enthusiast? Mama Earth Organics. Coffee Lover? The Roasters Pack. Sweet tooth victim? Bakers Krate.

Treat your mom to Oh Mother's boxes, which will deliver pampering products to ensure she gets a little "me" time. For your daughter, Ellebox will help her get through that gloomy time of month, for the bookworm, Owl Box offers new young adult books and fun extras, and for the relative who's going through a difficult time, Caring Crate will help keep their spirit up.

And there's still plenty more subscription boxes to choose from.

Flip through the slideshow to find out some of the best boxes available to Canadians and learn about what each one has to offer.

Winning gift idea: Subscription boxes for everyone on your list

For the Gwyneth in the group

Perfect for the Gwyneth-type—the one who juggles it all and is devoted to healthy, organic goods—will go crazy for this monthly subscription service. Mama Earth Organics offers healthy foods and fresh produce from local organic farms and will deliver right to her door.

Winning gift idea: Subscription boxes for everyone on your list

For the one who can't come home for the holidays

Ensure your friend who's out-of-the-country doesn't get too homesick this holiday season with Expack's Canada box. It boasts classic Canadian treats—like ketchup chips, Coffee Crisps, and Flakies—that are beloved by everyone north of the border.

Winning gift idea: Subscription boxes for everyone on your list

For the one with the sweet tooth

She'll probably be equally happy and mad at this gift: Bakers Krate delivers locally-sourced freshly baked goods (including cookies, brownies, and cupcakes), made by Canadian artisans, right to her front door.

Winning gift idea: Subscription boxes for everyone on your list

For the beauty buff

Help your beauty-loving bestie stay in-the-know with the classic, latest and greatest beauty finds with Glossy Box. It brings makeup, hair, and skincare products to consumers’ doorsteps around the globe.

Culture & Entertainment

Hygge: The Art of "Finding Magic in the Ordinary"

Culture & Entertainment

Hygge: The Art of "Finding Magic in the Ordinary"

Think about some of your warmest memories—drinking wine and reminiscing with girlfriends, chatting with your mom while she whips up a batch of your favourite muffins, having a dinner date that leads to cocktails that leads to stargazing by the water because neither of you want the night to end—that’s hygge. It’s finding happiness in the every day, and all you need to be able to attain it is to know about it.

Some say the Danish word is pronounced “hooga” but according to Marie Tourell Søderberg, author of Hygge: The Danish Art of Happiness, it’s like this: The “y” is similar to the French “y” sound—think “huge,” and the “gge” sounds like the first syllable in “girl.” But, it doesn’t really matter how you say "hygge"—you just need to get it. And to get it, you need to know where it comes from.

Hygge originates from a Norwegian word that means “well-being,” and in English, it means “coziness,” but it’s much more than that. Hygge is appreciating the little things in life. It’s “all the small things that make us feel safe, loved and satisfied,” says Søderberg. Hygge is doing things with warmth and joy, being present in the moment, and having a feeling of home—in other words, the Danish way of life.

Denmark is ranked as one of the happiest nations in the world, and hygge is likely an “ingredient in the Danish recipe for happiness,” says author Meik Wiking in his book, The Little Book of Hygge. Compared to other Europeans, Danes “meet most often with their friends and family and feel the calmest and most peaceful.” And that’s why there’s a growing interest in hygge.

Books on the subject are quickly filling up store shelves—a simple Indigo search will pull up more than five books on hygge, all of which have come out in the later half of 2016 (including Søderberg’s and Wiking’s) or will be coming out in the early months of 2017—just in time for winter, which is pretty much the reason why hygge exists.

In her book, Søderberg says, “It originated due to the need to create joy, warmth and togetherness in a country that boasts long, cold winters”—something Canadians can relate to. Hygge encourages you to embrace the cold months instead of waiting for the sun to shine again. But, anyone, anywhere, can enjoy the benefits of hygge any time of year, as it’s all about sharing moments with those you love, indulging in comfort foods, and taking in the sights and sounds around you.

Understanding hygge and having a name for it helps you recognize it and look for it in your day-to-day life. “Including it in our daily narratives and language makes us aware of the qualities of the word. Saying, ‘let’s hygge tonight,’ states a clear intention of what qualities we want our evening to have—presence, lovingness, relaxed, informal—all these qualities in one word,” says Søderberg.

Intimate candlelit dinner parties, mulled wine by a fire and ice skating under twinkling lights are classic hygge moments, but it can also be found when you're not expecting it. Hygge can happen in the least hyggelig (the adjective form of “hygge”) locations or in those in-between moments throughout your day—like when you're hiding from the rain under an awning with a friend, listening to a sax player as you wait for the next subway to arrive, or laughing with your sister over the phone.

Although hygge can happen anywhere, the most common place for it is at home, so it helps to make your living quarters feel warm, safe and welcoming—think candles, warm textiles and plenty of personal touches. In Søderberg’s book, she shares decorating advice from Nordic interior design expert Christina B. Kjeldsen: “The hygge comes when you feel that the person behind the surroundings is completely comfortable with his or her choices, but at the same time isn’t afraid of decorating intuitively and trying out new things and ideas…When you put thoughtfulness into how and why you have chosen to surround yourself with particular furniture, objects, art, flowers, knick-knacks, curtains—whatever—then you relax and your guests will see and know you for who you are.”

But, it’s important not to feel pressure to create a perfect space or occasion and force hygge. Decorate your space for you and not how you think it should be, and let moments unfold naturally—something that can be all too rare in this social media age. Søderberg warns, “The most hyggelig evening can look like a disaster in a picture, and opposite—the least hyggelig can look like a perfect evening.” But, if you have a true hyggling moment, it’ll be a “piece of art to capture the exact sense of an atmosphere in a photo.”

So, keep hygge on your mind. Make plans to hygge, be present in every moment, and soak up life's glories. And if you do, you’ll be gifted with the ability to, as Søderberg says, “[find] the magic in the ordinary.”

Baking & Desserts

Our best muffin recipes

Whip up a dozen moist muffins on a leisurely Sunday morning. Or better yet, set out the muffin recipe ingredients the night before and let the first person up bake a batch for everyone. Most of these muffin recipes can be made in advance and frozen.